Food delivery companies Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats are introducing enhanced security checks on their apps, after talks with government, to prevent illegal work in the gig economy.
All three firms have committed to change their processes to confirm substitute riders have the right to work legally in the UK. Deliveroo rolled out a new substitute registration feature, which includes right-to-work checks, earlier in April.
The Home Office has said that, while substitution is a legitimate part of self-employment, a minority of drivers have used it to avoid completing right-to-work checks, leading to an increase in operations by immigration enforcement officers to prevent this.
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Minister for countering illegal migration Michael Tomlinson said: “We’re committed to cracking down on unchecked account sharing – and this meeting was a very positive step in the right direction.
“I thank all three companies for their willingness to work with us to protect the British public, and sincerely hope that the changes we have discussed today are put into practice as swiftly as possible.
“Illegal working puts their customers at risk, drives down wages and defrauds the taxpayer. It is vital that we shut down any loophole that allows it to happen.”
Business and trade minister Kevin Hollinrake, said: “I support proactive businesses like Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, who are working to ensure those who work with them are doing so legally, in turn protecting consumers and helping to grow the economy.
“I am proud of the UK’s flexible and dynamic labour market and the gig economy plays an important role in offering flexible opportunities for those who may not be able to work in more conventional ways.”
A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities extremely seriously and are committed to strengthening our controls to prevent misuse of our platform.
“We are the first major platform to roll out direct right-to-work checks, a registration process and identity verification technology to ensure that only substitutes with right to work can continue riding on our platform.”
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